"Australia needs a long-term strategic plan, based on the value of immigration to our country, the higher education export industry, and avoiding the racism espoused by members of the National Party and One Nation," writes John Hewson. satpa.pe/u7LFqqc

I don't understand why one cohort of Australian citizens are being elevated and treated as more important than other citizens who are also being subjected to racism and prejudice. The Governments role is to treat all citizens as equals, clearly they're not doing this.

Growers warn 'watered down' lavender oil widespread in surging imports: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-21/lavender-oil-imports-pricing-local-growers-out/106308156

Starting your new job by calling for higher interest rates and more unemployment, superb political skills. (He’s finding out that this is a fair bit harder than talking shit at the IPA / on Sky Noos. Buy him a picture book about economics.)

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Reminder that Australia should be taking full advantage of this chaos and invest in our research capability

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AUSTRALIA Weekly COVID Update: 20 Feb 2026 🔹SA: ⬆️ (+36.5%) 5 deaths reported 🔹WA: ⬆️ (+34.3%) Avg 18/day in hospital 🔹VIC: ⬆️ (+29.0%) 🔹QLD: ⬆️ (+15.8%) 37 in hospital 🔹NSW: ⬆️ (+13.0%) 🔸TAS: Next update: 6 Mar 🔹Aged Care: The Australian government ended weekly COVID-19 reporting.

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A popular app in Denmark identifies American products so that Danes know not to buy them www.independent.co.uk/tech/us-boyc...

"They're raising prices because they can. "That's what's driving inflation and yet it's workers who get smashed by an interest rate rise." @grogsgamut.bsky.social on how corporate profits are driving inflation while workers bear the cost. #auspol 🎧 theaus.in/4rS2eSg

A very fine thing to have @squigglyrick.bsky.social file for @crikey.com.au today: read his scoop on Robodebt architect Scott Britton’s new gig

'The values people arrive with are important, but values need constant reinforcement, in all parts of society, including through the education system and the political system.'

Apparently LLM generated "AI" bullshit is enough of a problem on Wikiepedia at this point that they had to create a new category of warning/reproach for editors and pages using it.

New research found this approach meant an increase in spawning fish. This is good news for fishers. 👉 Read the full story: theconversation.com/plummet...

Incredible how much the media has spent talking about hate speech laws and yet none of the thousands of articles on Hanson mention she recently was found by a federal court of breaching hate speech laws.

“Is there a technology the left is excited about?” High-speed rail! MRNA vaccines! New cancer treatments! Solar and wind energy collection! Better and longer-range EVs! That wood that's harder than steel! New apples! Fibermaxxing! Buldak Swicy ramen! Muppets! Muppets are too a technology, shut up!

You can completely uninstall/disable copilot on Windows. Your system and local search will run faster afterward. www.howtogeek.com/how-to-rip-o...

The case is seen as a test of social media's legal responsibility for platform design features that plaintiffs' lawyers say exacerbated mental health issues in young people. n.pr/4qGcdJu

I agree! The Trump-Epstein files it is.

Breaking: Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson dies, aged 84: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-17/civil-rghts-leader-jesse-jackson-dies-age-84/106356528

Here is the spoken cartoon version of my tribute to Jon Kudelka www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cv9...

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NSW: Measles alert for Byron Bay area. "There is currently an increased risk of measles in NSW, with 18 cases confirmed in the state since the new year." Source: www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Gentoo penguins the first birds on Australian territory to contract H5N1 as bird flu spreads

OKAY BIG ONE FOR YA NEW report out today: I dig deep into how big tech has been muddling tech types and overstating evidence to claim "AI" will make global emissions drop like a stone.... Not only will it not, it seems to be verifiably doing the opposite!! ketanjoshi.co/2026/02/17/b... + 📼+🧵>

While communities burn and flood, major banks continue financing coal and gas expansion. Climate emergency ignored as banks double down on coal and gas ~ Kyle Robertson independentaustralia.net/life/life-di...

One day there will be a fascinating study done into the Renée Leon lobby. One day I suspect I will write it.

A supermassive black hole of slop collapsing under its own slop gravity

"Regional Australians are not served by the melodrama of the Nationals nor the Liberals fighting for centre stage within the coalition, nor the divisive protest politics of One Nation. Independents show that there is another way," writes Helen Haines. satpa.pe/HVB1sS6

“In times of crisis Australians are great at doing the right thing morally and socially, which is also the smart thing economically. What would it take to do so all the time?” - Lukas Ringland Read the full piece on The Point: https://theaus.in/3OeQxqx

Water woes for livestock producers as drought drags on: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-16/dams-rivers-run-dry-victoria-farmers-livestock-drought-no-rain/106334366

And another bites the dust? The BBC World Service will run out of funding in just seven weeks. Its funding arrangement with the Foreign Office finishes at the end of March. There is no plan for what happens next. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Squeee

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"Trump Issues a Death Sentence on Our Children, Grandchildren and the Planet With His Payoff to the Fossil Fuel Industry" | My interview with Ian Masters of #BackgroundBriefing courtesy of @kpfk.bsky.social So. Cal public radio: soundcloud.com/user-8304426...

The British brought imperialism, massacres, Christian hypocrisy and smallpox, but apparently that was a good migration

Read more: satpa.pe/Bi1cWHc

““One of the big pictures here is increased variability — the increase in differences between the good years and the bad years in agriculture," Professor Howden said. ” Excerpt From “Parched start to 2026 for southern Australia as east coast lows dry up”

Liberal figure Charlotte Mortlock quits party amid feared backlash over dumping of first female leader

Internal correspondence and Senate submissions show the CSIRO is running out of money and may lose its position as a leading research agency, Rick Morton reports. satpa.pe/kyzQZla

It just happens that back in 2014 I made a bunch of Winter Olympic Lolcats. Let's have a look!

Massive boom in conference submissions (chock full of AI fabrications) due to LLM adoption is NOT "increased researcher productivity" It is research integrity failure, knowledge degradation, disciplinary suicide